B (10:42)

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A (11:27)

Debt Relief.com by the start of 200925 year old Schaefer Cox was thinking a lot about his career. In 2008, he'd run for a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives and lost. It was a painful blow, both personally and financially. On top of donations, Shaver had invested his own money into the campaign. In the wake of the election, he could try to start over again and go back to his career as a small business owner. Or he could try to carve himself a new path with the supporters he had. By mid February, he'd made his decision. He founded a group that advocated for gun rights in Alaska. It was called the Second Amendment Task Force. Their first meeting was at a Denny's and about 150 people showed up. Soon word spread and enough people wanted to join that the group was moved locations to a local church. By February 20, there were 500 to 600 attendees. Schaefer characterized the members as ordinary Alaskans who were concerned about their rights being taken away. Although gun rights can be a highly divisive topic, Shaffer insisted it wasn't a partisan issue. He told the Anchorage Daily News, quote, it's not right versus left, it's the state versus you. Schaeffer didn't want people to arm themselves against each other, but against the government. He organized what he called open carry days where members of his group would flaunt their firearms in public spaces throughout Fairbanks. He claimed he wasn't trying to rile people up, he just wanted to start a conversation about how we treat gun rights in America. And Schaeffer was just getting started. Later, in 2009, he founded a militia group called the Alaskan Peacemakers. It's not clear who was in this group, but there was probably a lot of overlap with the Second Amendment Task Force. Shaffer was also a member of an organization called the Liberty Bell Network. Their goal was to monitor and record instances of abuse by police and other local law enforcement agencies. It was like a neighborhood watch of sorts. Of thanks to Schaeffer's stint on the campaign trail, he was already pretty well known in Alaska. And these other groups only made him more visible. In April 2009, the Second Amendment Task Force hosted an open Carry day event at the Denny's in Fairbanks, Alaska. Congressman Don Young was in attendance. The big moment came when Young signed a letter. The group had drafted this so called declaration called on sovereign citizens to abolish any government that sought to enforce infringe on their gun rights. Their group called this their God given right to self defense. But the words on the page weren't as important as the photos and videos that emerged, they showed Schaefer standing alongside his congressman, proudly displaying his firearms. The images circulated around the country, and before long, Shaffer had established himself as one of the most popular voices in the gun rights movement. Suddenly, he was traveling the nation to speak at different rallies and events. At one point, he even claimed that members of the modern Irish republican army were among his supporters. During a speech in Montana, he claimed the Alaskan peacemakers had over 3,500 members in Fairbanks. He said the militia wasn't a ragtag group of people, but a well organized force. He went on to say, quote, we've got engineers that make GPS jammers, cell phone jammers, bombs, and all sorts of nifty stuff. We've got guys with airplanes with laser acquisition stuff, and we've got rocket launchers and grenade launchers and claymores and machine guns and cavalry, and we've got boats. It's all set, end quote. He thought the speech would show how powerful he was, but all it did was make him a target. Overnight, Shaffer went from a concerned citizen to a national threat. Representatives from the Anti Defamation league, an organization founded to combat anti Semitism in the United States, started keeping tabs on Schaefer. Though he mostly talked about gun rights, his allegiance with the sovereign citizen movements raised red flags for them. Many sovereign citizen groups believed dangerous and anti Semitic tropes about Jewish people. And this meant that organizers like Shaffer could be a threat worth keeping an eye on. Besides the anti Defamation League, Shaffer was on the radar of the Southern poverty law center, which kept a list of anti government militias. And later, in 2009, a copy of his speech in Montana found its way to the FBI. Almost immediately, the Alaskan peacemakers were infiltrated by FBI informants. At least two of them had joined the group. By mid-2010, Schaefer and the other members had no idea there were spies in their midst, but they were growing concerned about their increased public profile. In addition to his signature newsboy cap, Schaefer started wearing a bulletproof vest wherever he went, just in case anyone tried to take a shot at him. And before long, his paranoia may have shown up in other ways, too. On March 1, 2010, Alaska State Troopers received a distress call from the Cox residence. When they arrived, they arrested Shaffer on allegations of domestic violence. According to his wife, Marty, the family was driving to Anchorage earlier that day when Shaffer punched and choked her. Their two year old son had been in the backseat at the time. Four days later, on March 5, Shaffer pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment. Since this was a misdemeanor charge, he was given two years probation and a one month suspended sentence. But that wasn't enough to keep him out of Trouble. Less than two weeks later, on March 17, there was another incident in Fairbanks. A resident called 911, but hung up before the operator could find out what was going on. So officers were dispatched to the scene just in case. At the same time, a member of the Liberty Bell Network, which Schaefer Cox was a part of, notified the group about police activity in the neighborhood. Schaefer took it upon himself to go to the home in question to try to help. When he tried to follow police into the house, he was arrested. Shaffer had been wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a pistol, which the officers said he failed to disclose. Shaffer was facing a fifth degree weapons misconduct charge. His supporters thought the whole thing was a setup, that there was no 911 call. Meanwhile, Schaeffer tried to claim the courts had no power over him as a sovereign citizen. His trial was set for February 14, 2011. Shaffer said he was going to represent himself. It wasn't a good look. Like the saying goes, a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. And after this most recent arrest, Schaeffer started to lose some key allies. Conservative groups began distancing themselves from the Second Amendment task force. Congressman Don Young, who had shared a stage with Schaefer less than a year ago, put out a statement saying he had no affiliation with Shaffer or his militia. With the walls closing in around him, Schaefer only got more paranoid and more desperate. As winter turned to spring in 2010, Schaeffer continued to make public appearances throughout Fairbanks, painting himself as a victim of persecution. At one point, he gathered 40 of his supporters to discuss his legal troubles. He claimed that both the domestic violence and weapons charges were made up by the feds to put him in jail. He complained that the state Office of Children's Services had been harassing him ever since he was charged with hitting his wife and endangering his son. A few months after the domestic abuse charge, he appeared alongside Marty in front of a small crowd. She agreed with Schaefer. She said the charges were fabricated, contradicting her previous statement to the police. The speech only seemed to rile Schaefer up even more. He told his close friends that he believed the government had recruited a hit squad from Aurora, Colorado, to kill him. Nobody knew where he got this idea from. In November 2010, he turned up for a TV interview at a studio outside Fairbanks with a six man security entourage. He told the host that his associates were ready to kill on site if they saw any government hitmen. One of Shaffer's bodyguards was carrying an assault rifle and a grenade launcher loaded with rubber pellets. The whole militia treated the radio station like a potential war zone. They locked down the street and demanded that anyone who happened to be passing by show their IDs on the air. He repeatedly said that he and his militia would not be intimidated by the government. He was the law. As his trial approached, it seemed clear that Schaeffer wouldn't fall in line no matter what the jury ruled. Instead, he decided to hold a hearing of his own. On January 16, 2011, his supporters gathered in the back room of a Denny's and acquitted Schaeffer Cox on all counts. Of course, this kangaroo court had no legal bearing on the case. But that didn't matter to Schaeffer. He was living in his own reality. The only things he cared about were his brothers in arms and his family. In early February, Marty gave birth to their second child. At the same time, members of Shaffer's militia went to Anchorage to attend a gun convention. While there, they looked into buying new weapons for the peacemakers, including grenades. But they should have been more careful about who they talked to because it turned out one of the sellers was an FBI informant. By this point, Shaffer was certain there was a target on his back. But he had no idea just how close his enemies were.

C (21:51)

Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go get ready for a new case.

A (21:56)

We're the greatest partners of all time. New friends, Gary the Snake and your last name, the Snake Dream Team. The New habitats Zootopia has a secret reptile population.

C (22:05)

You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home. Zootopia 2. Now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG. And right now you can get Disney plus and Hulu for just 4.99amonth for 33 months with a special limited time offer. Ends March 24th. After three months, Plan Auto renews at $12.99 a month. Terms apply.

A (22:22)

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes. Hosted by Katie Ring. Each week, Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American history. Revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society. Serial killers who terrorized cities. Unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night. And investigations that change the way we think about justice. Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday, from the first sign that something was wrong to the moment the truth came out or didn't. These are the stories behind the headlines. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. For most of the country, February 14, 2011 was Valentine's Day. But for 27 year old Schaefer Cox, it was the day the government tried to take away his rights. The leader of the Peacemakers Militia and the Second Amendment Task Force was under indictment for weapons misconduct, but instead of standing his ground, he ran. The trial came and went. Shaffer didn't show up. He and his family had already left their home in Fairbanks and gone into hiding, but the authorities weren't going to let him get away unscathed. A warrant was issued for his arrest. That's same day Shaffer was meeting with his inner circle. Two days earlier, they'd hatched a plan called 24 1. The idea was two of them for every one of us. If one of the Peacemakers got arrested, they would kidnap two law enforcement officers. If Schaefer lost his house, two cops were going to find their houses burned down. And if one Peacemaker lost his life, two officers would die too. It's not clear how many Peacemakers there were in total by then, but given Shaffer's fall from grace, there probably weren't many left. And there were just four directly involved with planning the two four one Schaeffer, a man named Lonnie Vernon, Lonnie's wife Karen, and another associate named Coleman Barney. Thanks to a friend of theirs named Michael Anderson, they had a list of targets. Though Anderson wasn't a member of the Peacemakers, he maintained a database of home home addresses belonging to various government employees. Regardless of their stance on gun control, the list included Alaska State Trooper Captain Burke Barrack, a lieutenant named Wall, State Attorney Arne Soldvadel, Court Administrator Ron Wood and Superior court judge Michael McConaughey. Anderson had staked out each of their homes ahead of time. Originally, the plot was supposed to be a retaliation measure, but with the arrest warrant hanging over his head, Shaffer wanted to strike first. However, as the group went over their list of targets, it seemed like he was getting cold feet. Schaefer worried they didn't have enough manpower to go after so many people. But Lonnie Vernon was firm. He was ready for action and suggested they divide and conquer. Assigning targets to two man teams for efficiency. Once they arrived at the homes of their targets, one team would cause some sort of distraction. They would shoot a nearby electrical transformer or break open a fire hydrant. When their targets came outside to see what was going on, they'd shoot them, enter the homes, kill everyone inside, and set the house on fire. When responding officers arrived at the scene, they'd be killed too. It seemed like Schaefer was on board with this plan. Allegedly, his only condition was that they wouldn't target women and children. But if someone's family happened to be collateral damage, he wouldn't lose sleep over it. Still, days passed and no one acted. Schaefer and Lonnie started arguing about the plan. Lonnie wanted to make moves quickly, but Schaeffer kept saying they weren't strong enough. Before long, it became clear that Schaeffer had worn out his welcome with Lonnie Vernon. Eventually, Schaefer took his family and went to stay with their other co conspirator, Coleman Barney, instead. On the drive over, Schaefer and Marty both wore bulletproof vests and carried assault rifles. Although Schaefer was sure they were still being watched, nothing happened for the rest of February 2011, everyone was waiting for him to make the call and mobilize his militia. But Shaffer was still prepared. Pairing at some point, a militia member visited one of the locations where the peacemakers kept their weapons. He picked out a.50 caliber machine gun, 12 assault rifles, and eight grenades. He brought them back to Coleman's house where Shaffer was hiding out. Meanwhile, Schaefer and the rest of his militia were creating wanted posters featuring their targets. Until finally, after almost a month on the run, Schaeffer Cox got the showdown he wanted. On March 10, 2011, federal and state law enforcement descended on the homes of several known Peacemakers. Eventually, they located Schaeffer at Coleman Barney's house. At 7:30pm a post appeared on Shaffer's Facebook page. It read, shaffer has been taken into custody by the FBI. Please pray for his safety and the safety of his family. Four Peacemakers, Schaefer Cox, Lonnie Vernon and his wife Karen, and Coleman Barney, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping and arson. For Shaffer, this was in addition to his still pending charges for weapons misconduct. A fifth conspirator, Michael Anderson, was indicted for compiling their list of targets. The Vernons also faced a separate charge for over $160,000 in unpaid taxes. And all five were charged with possession of illegal weapons. A lot of the Information about the 241 plot came from Gerald Olson, an FBI informant who joined the Peacemakers in August 2010. Olson had been charged with drug trafficking and had become an informant in exchange for a reduced sentence. He'd been recording many of their meetings. Unfortunately, those tapes weren't as helpful as they should have been. It turned out Olson was recording without a warrant, which meant the information he'd gathered was illegal under Alaska law. Because of that, all the state charges relating to conspiracy were dismissed. But Shaffer and the others were still facing hefty federal charges for the murder plot and possession of illegal weapons. When the trial began in May 2012, it seemed like 28 year old Schaeffer Cox had done a 180. He wasn't wearing his newsboy cap and bulletproof vest anymore. And he wasn't yelling about his rights either. Now he said he wasn't a revolutionary. He was just a man who wanted to carry a message of peace. He even walked back his earlier claim that he had 3,500 men at his disposal. That had been an exaggeration for dramatic effect. And the document on his phone labeled Hitler List. That was just a list of men he wanted to talk to. He claimed to idolize those who advocated non violent protest. People like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. His lawyers argued that freedom of speech wasn't a crime and insisted the illegal weapons sales had been facilitated by FBI informants. Therefore, it was a textbook case of entrapment, something Schaefer's group only did because the FBI informant tricked them. His lawyers also claimed the 2:4:1 plot was strictly about self defense. They said Schaeffer was never going to act on it. He was just talking about it. The jury didn't buy it. After six weeks, the trial came to an end. Schaefer Cox was found guilty of conspiracy and the weapons charge. Months later, on January 8, 2013, he was sentenced to 310 months in prison, which came out to almost 26 years. He would be behind bars until 2039. Meanwhile, Lonnie Vernon got 26 years and Karen Vernon got 12 years. Coleman Barney got five. Because Michael Anderson testified against them, he received immunity. At first glance, it might seem like Schaeffer Cox's story was just about politics. But if you look a little closer, you'll see it was more complicated. He was just 24 years old when he tried to run for office. Although he didn't succeed, that campaign gave Schaeffer a taste of power and he was willing to do anything to hold on to that sense of control. Still, it seems like things have improved for Shaffer in the 13 years since he took the stand. He appealed his case and the solicitation to murder charge was dropped. Though his case conviction for conspiracy was upheld. He was eventually re sentenced, although his release hasn't been officially announced. As of September 6, 2024, he's no longer listed as an inmate of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Other reports say he's currently working for a construction company in Alaska. Whatever Shaffer is up to now, it seems like he's laying low. After all, he learned the hard way what happens when you go toe to toe with the U.S. government. And maybe he's not taking any more chances. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Come back next time. We'll decode the episode together and hear another story about the real people at the center of the world's most notorious cults, conspiracies and criminal acts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House original Powered by Pave Studios Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, Rimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow consistent Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Wherever you get your podcasts, your feedback truly makes a difference. And to enhance your Conspiracy Theories, Cults and crimes listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free. We'll be back on Friday. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and is a Crime House original powered by Paid Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Laurie Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Robert Teamstra, Leah Roesch, and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening.

C (33:52)

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A (34:23)

Thanks for listening to today's episode. Not sure what to listen to next? Check out America's Most Infamous Crimes hosted by Katie Ring. From serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game changing investigations, each week Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes now wherever you listen to podcasts.